During the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the five good emperors, many natural disasters occurred. The Tiber River flooded; famine hit, and the army brought back plague from the East. All of these resulted in a major loss of population and a shortage of military power. Many of the Romans believed that these disasters foreshadowed a worrying future for Rome. This belief was proven by the presence of new problems after Marcus Aurelius died. Marcus Aurelius appointed his own son as his successor instead of adopting a competent man as his son to be his successor. His son, Commodus, was a poor choice for a successor and his assassination led to a brief renewal of civil war until Septimius Severus seized power. Before he died he instructed
